Empathy Mapping: The First Step in Design Thinking

In UX design, one of the most valuable tools we have is empathy. Before we can design anything meaningful, we need to understand the people who will use it. That’s where empathy mapping comes in. An empathy map is a simple but powerful framework that helps teams visualize what users say, think, do, and feel during an experience. By externalizing this knowledge, designers and stakeholders can align around user needs and identify gaps in research that need more attention.

What is an Empathy Map?

At its core, an empathy map is a collaborative diagram that captures a user’s perspective. Traditional empathy maps are divided into four quadrants: Says, Thinks, Does, and Feels. Together, these quadrants create a snapshot of the user’s experience, not in sequence, but as a holistic view of who they are and how they interact with a product or service.

Empathy Map

• Says: Direct quotes or feedback from a user. For example, “I just want something reliable.”

• Thinks: What’s going through their mind, even if they don’t say it out loud—like “Am I doing this wrong?”

• Does: The actions they take, such as refreshing a page or comparing prices.

• Feels: Their emotional state, whether they’re excited, frustrated, confused, or worried.

The goal isn’t to be perfect or precise. Users are complex, and sometimes the same input could belong to multiple quadrants. What matters is capturing the richness of their experience, so the design team has a shared understanding.

Individual vs. Group Empathy Maps

Empathy maps can focus on a single user or reflect patterns from a group of users. An individual empathy map might come directly from an interview or diary study, while an aggregated empathy map combines insights from multiple people who share similar behaviors. Aggregated maps are especially useful for creating or refining personas. They also make it easier to visualize qualitative data—like survey results or usability study notes—in a way that teams can digest quickly.

Why Empathy Maps Matter

Empathy maps aren’t just for designers—they’re for the whole team. They act as a common reference point, protecting the design process from assumptions and bias. By building empathy together, teams can:

• Identify what they know and where research gaps exist.

• Prioritize features that address real user pain points.

• Educate stakeholders about user needs in a clear, visual way.

• Uncover unexpected insights, like contradictions between what users say and how they actually feel.

In this way, empathy maps become more than just an exercise. They’re living documents that should be revisited and updated as new data comes in.

How to Build an Empathy Map

Creating an empathy map is straightforward, but the process works best as a collaborative effort:

1. Define your scope and user. Decide whether you’re mapping an individual or a segment.

2. Gather inputs. Pull from interviews, field studies, surveys, or usability sessions.

3. Generate insights. As team members read the data, they add sticky notes to the four quadrants.

4. Cluster and synthesize. Group similar notes and identify repeating themes.

5. Polish and share. Digitize the map, label clusters, and make sure it’s accessible to the entire team.

The final artifact should include the user’s name or persona, the date, and version. That way, it stays relevant and can evolve over time as new insights are collected.

Conclusion

Design thinking starts with empathy, and empathy maps are one of the simplest ways to put that principle into action. They give teams a structured way to listen to users, uncover hidden needs, and align on what truly matters. Whether you’re working on a brand-new product or refining an existing one, empathy mapping ensures that your design decisions are rooted in the real experiences of the people you’re designing for.

References

• Gibbons, S. (2018). Empathy Mapping: The First Step in Design Thinking. Nielsen Norman Group. Retrieved from: https://www.nngroup.com/articles/empathy-mapping/

• Bland, D. (2016). Agile Coaching Tip – What is an Empathy Map? SolutionsIQ.

• Gray, D., Brown, S., & Macanufo, J. (2010). Gamestorming: A Playbook for Innovators, Rulebreakers, and Changemakers. O’Reilly Media.

• Gray, D. (2017). Updated Empathy Map Canvas. Medium.

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